| O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! |
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness.
America! America!
God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law.
O beautiful for heroes prov'd
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life.
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears.
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.
I posted this song because I absolutely love it. The words are so meaningful. My two favorite parts are where it asks God to confirm America's soul in self-control and our liberty in law. Today so many Americans love to talk about liberty and the freedom to do certian things, but they don't want to remind themselves that our liberty is availble because of the law. I have the freedom to go out and walk around my city streets because the law protects me from those who would do me harm. Self-control is something that many Americans have abandoned. We must have a moral responsibility to the law and follow it because it is the right thing to do not because we are worried about getting caught. I remeber being very worried that when I asked some of my students, "Why don't you rob a bank on your way home from school?" The only answer they could come up with is, "Because I would go to jail." This may be true, but it is not the only reason we don't rob the bank. Self-control to follow the law is important. My second favorite line is when it talks about how beautiful the heroes who sacrifice their lives for us are. They love their country more than they loved themselves and they love mercy more than life. Looking back on the last six years, I think of all those who have gone overseas to protect us. They have sacrificed time with their families, comfort, peace, and many have sacrificed their lives. I am so grateful there are those willing to do that. I am thankful for the police, firemen, and soldiers who risk their safety for ours.
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